From Worcester to San Jose: Irwin shines

When the San Jose Sharks moved defenseman Brent Burns to forward in March it provided an immediate spark to what had been a lackluster season to that point.

Burns’ physical presence up front allowed the Sharks to move Joe Pavelski to the third line and gave a scoring-challenged team much more depth to help lead the Sharks into the second-round of the playoffs.

Burns’ move might not have been possible if rookie defenseman Matt Irwin hadn’t proven he could play in the NHL. The former Worcester Sharks captain gave the Sharks the depth at the blue line that allowed Burns to play up front when he provided 20 points in 23 regular season games.

“He’s come in and solidified a position in our lineup,” coach Todd McLellan said. “I see him developing beyond his rookie year now and into a veteran type demeanor, a veteran type contribution on a nightly basis.”

Irwin had six goals and six assists in 38 games with the Sharks, teaming with veteran Dan Boyle for most of the year to give the Sharks a defensive pairing with two potent puck movers.

“Game after game you start feeling more comfortable and the coaching staff feels more confidence in you and trusts you a little bit more and puts you out in more situations,” Irwin said.

Irwin had 2.1 shots on goal per game, the most of any rookie defenseman, and was a regular fixture on the second power-play unit. He has also been reliable on the defensive end and has been a major part of San Jose’s success.

Irwin was undrafted at age 18 and originally signed with San Jose as a free agent in March 2010 after wrapping up a stellar college career at UMass when he was second among all NCAA defensemen in scoring in his final season.

Irwin, 25, posted 73 points in his first two full seasons with Worcester in the AHL and started this season there while the NHL was in its lockout.